The ability to check the information of items made the situation feel almost like cheating.
How often does one get the chance to pick from dozens of treasures as if shopping? Khan made the most of his ability.
‘This one is cursed. This one’s performance is too ambiguous to be useful….’
Appearing to calmly inspect the items in the display cases, Khan was actually meticulously reading the item information windows.
The items had a minimum rarity level of “Rare”, with most possessing near-legendary qualities. Occasionally, legendary items appeared. It was clear that equipping any of these would substantially boost their power.
However, Khan had no intention of letting them choose randomly.
“I’ll take this mace. It’s faint, but I sense some divinity in it.”
Leo was the first to finish “shopping.”
He had chosen a unique mace with a deep, blood-red color except for the handle.
‘Not bad.’
Leo’s remark about sensing divinity was true. The mace was named “Demon Crusher,” a legendary weapon blessed directly by a divine entity to a hunter of ancient demons. It applied a “critical hit” option against any evil-aligned enemies.
Khan was impressed with its legendary performance, which ensured significant damage upon a successful hit.
Additionally, it came with a Strength stat boost of 3.
“Not bad at all.”
“You recognize it, don’t you, Master? I usually prefer swords, but for some reason, I felt compelled to choose this.”
“Master. I’ve found something as well.”
Next was Maya.
She chose an artifact in the form of a bracelet. The description in the display case said that infusing it with mana would activate an embedded magic barrier.
‘Defender’s Buckler. This is good too.’
Though it didn’t boost any stats, Maya, who had the lowest physical durability among the group, clearly chose wisely. Combining “Yorun’s Spear” obtained earlier from the Duke’s treasury, with the “Defender’s Buckler” would make it almost impossible for her to sustain injuries from most foes.
She must have chosen it based on an understanding of her weaknesses. Khan told her to go with her choice and moved towards the now-empty display case.
“Could someone have already taken it out?”
Maya muttered in bewilderment.
“No, it’s just hard to see.”
“But there’s nothing visible… Ah!”
As Khan explained, there indeed was ‘something’ in the display case. It was so transparent that it was almost impossible to notice without careful observation.
『Mortalia’s Disguise Robe』
‘Found it.’
It became certain that Darkin Perayas in Act V had likely armed his named subordinates with items from the Argon royal treasury.
—
『Mortalia’s Disguise Robe』 (Legendary)
─ A transparent robe created by the mage Mortalia. It can be worn over existing equipment.
─ Duplicate :: Maintains the performance of the existing equipment while adding the options of the Disguise Robe.
─ Strong Spell Resistance :: Exhibits high resistance to all types of spells.
─ Strong Blade Resistance :: Exhibits high resistance to all blade-related attacks.
─ Disguise :: Allows the wearer to designate a specific appearance. The designated target will perceive the wearer as the chosen appearance.
The effects may seem complex, but the utility is straightforward. The Disguise Robe overlays its options onto desired armor, making it a popular choice among users for aesthetic customization. Many players loved using it to enhance the appearance of lower-grade armor.
‘Luckily, this wasn’t a wasted effort.’
Khan hadn’t forgotten the primary objective of accepting the Black Wing Duke’s deal: gathering Mortalia’s relics to decipher the Enchanted Jade.
In addition to the Mortalia’s Disguise Robe, the other treasure Khan chose was a war hammer named “Giant Slayer.”
Crafted by an ancient dwarf artisan specifically for slaying giants, it possessed the “Resistance Ignore” option that bypassed a certain level of blunt resistance, and the “Impact Stacking” option that increased damage with successive hits on the same target. Both options provided significant damage increases.
“I can’t decide.”
Seeing Aries struggling to choose, Khan selected a legendary shield called the “Black Dragon Bone Shield” for her.
Overall darkish in appearance, this shield was an artifact made by combining the bones of a monster and minerals. It had extremely high resistance to spells and, being light, was suitable for Aries, who wielded a one-handed straight sword.
For Alejandro’s assigned item, Khan handed Maya a set of armor boots named “Eleh’s Wind Boots” which had quasi-legendary performance.
Unlike Khan, who didn’t possess mana, or the two paladins who had divine power instead of mana, Maya was the only one who had mana. Thus, she had a broader range of choices.
“Eleh’s Wind Boots,” which raised the Agility stat by 2 and allowed hovering and acceleration with minimal mana consumption, would add wings to Maya, who had already balanced offense and defense with “Yorun’s Spear” and the “Defender’s Buckler.”
With Maya now equipped with two quasi-legendary items and two legendary ones, Khan judged that her combat prowess could no longer be underestimated.
“I will devote myself even more, my liege.”
Maya’s eyes blazed with determination, her lips splitting into a wide grin. Although Khan found it awkward to use some of these items himself, handing them over to Maya seemed to motivate her substantially, which in turn, benefited the entire group.
“The items you’ve chosen are ready to be taken immediately.”
It seemed there had been prior arrangements by the crown prince, allowing them to take the items right away.
With their premium, custom-fit gear in hand, the group exited the treasury with smiles on their faces.
“Test out or use the gear as you see fit.”
“Aren’t you going to test it, Master?”
“I’m still tired. I plan to rest intermittently for a while, so unless it’s urgent, don’t come looking for me.”
Khan dismissed Maya and Leo, who were eager to spar and test their new gear, under the pretext of needing rest. Though he felt a bit of a pang under Aries’ persistent and unreadable gaze, his claim of fatigue was genuine.
The fight with the golden dragon had caused a temporary spike in his Agility stat due to the effects of “Scale of Courage.” leading to sensory disruption. The stat reductions from overlapping A-rank skills had also yet to fully recover.
‘Although that’s not the only reason…’
Aries’ astute gaze suggested she might have an idea of why Khan wanted to be alone. Unlike the others, the presence of this paladin, solidly in the ranks of the superhumans, made it clear that she perceived more than she let on.
Leaving behind Aries’ unwavering gaze, Khan headed toward his private room.
Since it was almost guaranteed that maids, who seemed to appear like ghosts each time he was out, would have been there to tidy up, he brainstormed excuses to politely dismiss them. As he grasped the door handle, he paused.
Haah-.
He let out a complex sigh before opening the door.
“You’re back?”
A woman dressed in a maid’s outfit greeted him cheerfully. Instead of his usual nod, Khan let out another sigh and addressed the maid…
“Of course, you’re alive. Tilly.”
More accurately, he scowled at Tilly, who was cleaning the room in a maid’s uniform.
***
“Oh my, you knew?”
“Considering what Drakes are, how could I not?”
Khan’s implied question, ‘How could a monster like you die so easily?’ didn’t faze Tilly, who maintained her smile. Instead, she shared even more surprising information.
“The one who died that day was indeed a Drake, just not me. It was another of my kin.”
“……”
“That particular individual had an unusually strong obsession with living. When their body reached an irreparable state of decay, they desperately sought a way to continue living. As one of the few elders, I couldn’t ignore their plea, so I used a method to transfer their life essence. Fortunately, the ancient spell possessed by our collaborators was effective.”
The followers of Truth.
Khan had learned about Tilly’s collaboration with the followers of Truth during their acquisition of Draupnir. As a mage with magical abilities far surpassing human mages, it made sense that the followers of Truth, who held ancient magic shared among Drakes, would welcome her eagerly.
“So, did you appear in that guise just to report you’re still alive?”
Tilly hesitated at Khan’s sarcastic question, prompted by his awareness of the “Giant Slayer” war hammer hanging from his sword belt.
“Not exactly….”
Seeing Tilly, who was normally composed under any circumstance, hesitate was something Khan had never witnessed, not even during her time as “Mage Tilly.”
She usually maintained her composure even when faced with insults from Maya.
What on earth did she want to say? As Khan’s mind filled with doubts, Tilly finally spoke, her voice tinged with a rare hesitation.
“Actually, the reason I came today was to issue a kind of warning.”
“A warning?”
This time, Khan raised an eyebrow.
“Are you saying that you, or someone you’re working with, plans to target my life?”
“Well, that’s not entirely wrong. To be precise, the people I’m collaborating with have started to take an interest in you. They have been watching the experiments conducted in the Argon Kingdom with great interest.”
“Are you saying they’re going to seek retribution because I disrupted their experiments?”
Given the arrogant nature of the followers of Truth, it was a plausible scenario. However, Tilly shook her head in disagreement.
“No. What I mean is, they’ve started to take an interest in you as a person, Khan.”
“In me?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Your actions in the kingdom have been overly dramatic and exceptional.”
Khan understood exactly what Tilly was alluding to.
Battles with Darkin Perayas, wyverns, and basilisks; conquest of demonic realms; the subjugation of the hydra; and now, the resurrection of the golden dragon Areolus in an incomplete state. Such rapid and phenomenal growth couldn’t be easily comprehended, even by someone like Tilly, who was aware of Khan’s true strength from the start.
“Fortunately, you haven’t revealed your combat skills in front of too many people, so they’re still uncertain. But that too will become evident as you continue to pursue your goals.”
Khan’s internal reaction to Tilly’s warning was surprisingly calm. A part of him couldn’t help but feel slightly indifferent.
Sensing Khan’s nonchalance, Tilly elaborated further.
“I want you to achieve your goals, Khan.”
There was no doubting her sincerity. After all, Tilly was the woman who had killed their shared comrades to further his cause. But to bring it up now?
Tilly Ashanumos’ twisted kindness was something Khan was well aware of. If she genuinely wanted him to succeed, her support would have been more direct. However, Tilly’s approach was not straightforward.
Even if Khan were in mortal danger, Tilly would not directly intervene to save him.
But she would thoroughly eliminate any elements that might cause him to give up on his goals.
‘Just as she removed our former comrades.’
In that sense, warning Khan about dangers posed by the followers of Truth did not align with her typical methodology.
So what was it that compelled her to issue a direct warning now?
The answer was:
“A Apostle of Truth has begun to take an interest in you. Specifically, in the ‘potential’ you possess.”
It was close to the worst-case scenario Khan could imagine.